


Through the looking glass

by Ghai



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Argent Tournament (Warcraft), Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Magical Accidents, Magical Artifacts, Masturbation, Nicknames, Reunion Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-08-20 06:50:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16550996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghai/pseuds/Ghai
Summary: Nerenis Goldblaze is a young Blood Elf mage who works hard to get to Argent Tournament as Silvermoon representative with a single purpose of getting his eyes on Night Elves for the first time in his life. He gets more than he hoped for when one of them calls him his childhood nickname.Will add mote tags later as the story progresses ;)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I have this piece in my head for over a year and finally got some time to write it down.  
> Hope you enjoy it ;)

Nerenis Goldblaze was standing crouched in the shadow of Argent Tournament Coliseum for good 15 minutes gathering courage. He's been waiting for this moment his whole life and finally the opportunity was just a few yards away. The white walls of the Silver Covenant Pavillon were flopping silently in the mild wind and he could hear the voices of Alliance champions from within.

His target must have been inside without a question. He's been observing the group of Darnassus champions for a week now, seen all of their fights carefully hidden in the crowd of spectators, made precise notes about their schedule and knew every detail of their armor. The latter being his biggest problem. The punishingly freezing weather up here in the mountains forced everyone to seek cover in layers of furs and armor making it almost impossible to catch a glimpse of skin and for Nerenis, who have never seen a real night elf in person before, made all of them look exactly the same.

The only exception to this was the relative warmth of the faction tents serving as temporary housing. His single chance to see the elves taking at least their helmets of was to sneak up to the tent and hope there will be a gap in the fabrics just in the right spot. Summed up his chances were close to zero, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He already risked too much to just get to the Tournament Grounds to walk away without finishing his quest.

Ready to cast an invisibility spell at the first sight of troubles, he took his first step towards the tent. The Tournament grounds were considered a neutral territory and everyone was able to roam freely in relative safety. Plus, it was too late for anyone to be outside, everyone was already inside their tents gathering strength for another tournament day or searching for courage in a flagon of mead. But still, Nerenis needed to be especially careful not to get caught. The temporary peace was too fragile and any accusation of spying would earn him a one-way trip back home before he could say Mana Wyrm.

His heart felt like a rock in his chest before he even reached the tent and his mouth went completely dry. By the time he found first small tear in the fabric his adrenaline levels were off the charts. Taking in a shaky breath he peeked inside and...

BINGO! Darnassus insignia was hanging proud on the opposing wall and before him. His heart almost skipped a beat and it took enormous effort to contain his happiness. Any movement could easily give him up and being this close to his goal he couldn't afford that. Another silent breath later he searched the room. It was decorated in violet and green just as he imagined it would be and three well build figures were sitting around the brazier in the middle. Night elves, he could tell for once not by the armor, because they were not currently wearing much of it, seemed to be in a good mood, sitting around a brazier. One of them was naked from the waist up, giving Nerenis a spectacular view of his blueish skin, while the others were patching a wound on his back and making macho remarks about the fights earlier today.

The fabric in the corner of the tent moved and another elf, dressed in full armor, stepped inside the visible space. This one was a bit taller and leaner than the rest of the group and Nerenis instantly recognized him as the one riding the fabulously black saber cat. 

The said elf laughed at a joke his mates made and pulled his helmet off his head. In the brazier light his hair were pitch black just as his mount with occasional purple undertones, falling gracefully around his face. Nerenis held his breath in anticipation as the new guy laid off his furry cloak, undid his pauldrons, tossed both aside and started to undo his chest piece, ready to uncover more of his violet skin.

With a shout someone pushed Nerenis away from the tent and to his side into the thick layer of snow. Before he could gather himself, there was a hand grabbing the front of his robes and he was lifted into the air.

He tried to assess the situation frantically. There were two of them. Both in signature Darnassian armor spiting Darnassian insults into his face. One was holding him under the neck, the second one baring the sword by his side. There was more noise and shouting he didn't quite understand and the remaining four elves poured outside from the tent half undressed as they were seconds before but with weapons in their hands.

“No, please, I just wanted to...” He tried to explain himself but stopped mid sentence. What the hell would he tell them?

The tall dark haired one stepped forward and barked something at his mates. Darnassian and Thalassian had some similarities and Nerenis should have been able to understand it, but everything was happening too quickly. They tossed him on his knees, two of them grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands up behind his back, ultimately driving his face into the snow.

He could feel one of the elves looming over him. It was a matter of seconds before they pull back his hood and discover who he is. Then his leader gets to know and he is sent back home on the first ship never given such opportunity again. He needed to think fast. Invisibility spell would be no use since they were already holding him but he wasn’t out of options

A blue and violet blast of arcane explosion illuminated the night and tossing the elves into the snow. Nerenis didn't wait a second. Quick blink, invisibility spell and short sprint got him to the other side of the of the tent. The confused and angry shouts behind him only made him speed up. He couldn’t run back to Sunreaver tent and risk them finding out he was Horde so he aimed for the combat rings, hoping to hide among the smaller tents. Another blink brought him into the shadow of tribunes and he dared to turn around to see his pursuers. There were three, the ones that caught him outside and the tall one. They were fast and closing up to him.

Frost nova freezed them in place quite securelly and Nerenis couldn’t help but smirk. Only a dumbass would think they can catch a fleeing mage in such a frost friendly environment. He picked up his pace again and sprinted past the rings, looking for a place to hide but finding none in this direction. He could feel one of the elves breaking out of his freezing trap and there were only the uninhabitable frozen planes of Icecrown infront of him. Uninhabitable for anyone who wasn’t familiar with magic. Noone would surely pursue him there in the middle of night risking frost bites and worse. It was his only chance.

With a little help of magic, he managed to run on the surface of the snow and cover quite a distance in short time. Finally, he stopped to catch his breath and look around. The Tournament Grounds lights were still visible but no longer illuminating the snow around him. He could see tiny figures of the nigh elves give up and regroup by the tent. It was hard to count them from the distance, but there definitely was one, two, three, four, five, ...

Being knocked down into the snow for the second time in his life didn’t feel any better than the first one. There was someone atop of him, trying catch his hands. They struggled for a while, but the ever-present snow was not helping and Nerenis soon found his wrist in a death grip of another's fingers. He was pushed back into the snow with the attacker straddling his waist, making it impossible for him to kick him off. 

They found themselves laying in the snow, both breathing heavily. The dark haired elf's eyes were only beginning to focus as the adrenalin rush typical for warriors was ending. Nerenis tried to struggle some more but any physical offense seemed to be useless. Calling to his magic, the scene was suddenly illuminated by the pyre blast he started to conjure and in the bright light he could see the face of his opponent and by the look of it, he could see his as well. Nerenis realized his hood must have fallen off during the fight and his hair was pooling around his cheeks. NIght elf's expression suddenly went from aggressive to utterly confused.

“Goldie?” The elf spoke in common language, visibly unsure.

The one word made Nerenis hesitate and take a second look at his opponent's face, but it was too late. The pyro blast spilled from his palms in the next second, hitting the elf in the chest and sending him flying yards away.

XXX

“Are you nuts?!” Aenrel was trying to keep his voice down with great effort and barely succeeding. They were sitting in the Sunreavers tent, the small part of it dedicated to Sin'dorei delegation. It was just Nerenis and Aenrel here as the remaining of their group were still drinking furiously in main area with other champions sent to represent the Horde. Nerenis was sitting naked next to a brazier while the other blood elf was trying to dry his golden hair with spells.

“I just had to go and see!” Nerenis tried to explain for like the millionth time while fumbling through a pile of his clothes, trying to find something dry to put on. His robes were completely drenched from the snow he melted while casting the pyroblast.

“This obsession of yours is going to get you killed one day!” Aenrel hissed into his ear. “Or worse, executed for treason.” 

Nerenis waved him off with a piece of bright red underwear. “Yea, yea, yea, now shut up and help me change before someone finds out.” After the unfortunate encounter and blasting the night elf off him, Nerenis ran straight back to their tent. It seemed noone from his party noticed he was gone, until he ran into Aenrel. Surely his best friend must have noticed.

Aenrel Starstrider was a fellow mage. They studied magic together in Silvermoon, shared the same room for years, trained together and eventually persuaded the Grand Magistrix to send them to represent Silvermoon on the Tournamet. It was their first chance in live to meet face to face with the races of the Alliance. But Aenrel wasn't as thrilled by that as Nerenis was and he was also right about the possible treason.

Nerenis sighed. “I know, but...” He stood up and stepped away from his friend as he knew what he was about to say may upset him and he was too fond of his hair to do that too close to the magical fire. “Do you remember the imaginary friend I had when I was younger?”

Aenrel's expression changed first to confused and then to furious. “What? No, you will not bring that shit up again.” he waved his hands angrily and but let the fire disappear.

Nerenis rolled his eyes. “Do you or not?” he urged and the other elf gave up.

“Of couse I do. You called him Purple.” 

“Violet, but that's not the point.” Nerenis corrected and wanted to continue but Aenrel cut him off.

“Exactly, the point is he wasn't real. Young mages get to see all sorts of creatures before they learn how to shield properly. You seeing a night elf boy is no difference.”

“Yea, but what if he was?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if he was real?”


	2. Chapter 2

The nights were cold this time of year but Saeneth didn't mind. The only thing that mattered now was the beautiful moon on the sky surrounded by thousands of stars, the grass beneath his bare feet and the calm splashing water coming from the nearby lake. He just got off his swordsmanship training and ran all the way up here to his favorite spot to get some rest and pray for Elune to heal his recently obtained bruises. And there was plenty of them. The training was getting more and more demanding as the time to choose which of the recruits will remain in the general Darnassian forces and which ones will be selected for further warrior training.

Saeneth wasn't even sure which one of those he aspired for. Truthfully, becoming a proper warrior, leaving Darnassus, traveling to the lands far away for various assignments, maybe even leaving Kalimdor, … did sound quite intimidating and he was quite happy in Darnassus. He might even get a wife here, settle down, start a family. At least that's what all the other elves around his age were doing when they got selected for the general forces.

“Anyone there?” the sudden voice interrupted his trail of thoughts. Mostly because it was not Darnassian, but a Common language, which was still quite uncommon to be heard in Darnassus since there were not many visitors nowadays.

“Who is asking?” He turned around looking for whoever was asking but saw no-one. He was quite positive he was alone in the woods but the voice was still there.

“Heeeellooo? Anyone?” It came from the bushes on his right. Why would anyone hide in the bushes? Unless it was a Horde spy.

“Get out of there!” Saeneth automatically fell into the battle stance he was taught for unarmed combat. No sane person would hide in thorny bushes like this.

“Is someone there? I think I need help?” the voice kept ignoring his threats and it seemed whoever was calling out was close to crying. That was enough for Saeneth to drop the stance and jump towards the bushes. The thorns were catching on his shirt, but he managed to part the branches and look inside. There was nobody in there.

“Please, is someone there?” the voice was much stronger now and coming from inside of the bush for sure. Finally, something laying on the ground beneath the branches caught his eyes. Ignoring the thorns that dug into his skin, the young elf managed to fish the item out. It was golden and obviously a piece of something broken. And without doubt the voice was coming outside of it.

“Yes! I knew someone is there! Can you help me?”

Saeneth turned the item in his hands and nearly let it go when he saw the other side. It looked like a mirror, but instead of seeing his violet skin and dark hair in the middle of forest, there was a pale blond girlish face staring at him. She was nice, but definitely not a night elf. She did have elven ears though.

“Hi there, can you hear me?” she spoke again.

“Y-yes?” Saeneth managed to get out of him still very confused. How did an elf get into the mirror? Unless it was magic.

The girl smiled and it was as bright as the sun in the sun. “Great. Can you please cast a simple reverse spell on your part of the mirror? I messed up a displacement spell and need it back.”

That surely didn't help with Saeneth's confusion. "Spell? I can't cast spells."

“Haha, you're funny." She laughed and it was as if birds sang. “But I really need it back.” She looked at him with expectations in her eyes. Expectations Saeneth wasn't going to meet, but before he could speak again, she looked somewhere in the distance as if she heard something. “Never-mind, speak to you later. Do NOT throw the mirror away!” she urged and the mirror went dark and silent.

Saeneth was left standing in the middle of the woods with arms bloody from the thorns and a piece of broken mirror in his hand. 

By the time he reached the dorms later that night he wasn't sure if he really saw someone in the mirror of if he was just hallucinating from the exhaustion because of how demanding his training was recently. Because if the girl could cast spells, that meant using magic, and she surely wasn't night elf. Which could only mean she was a Blood Elf. She was Horde. But why would she be sending the mirror near Darnassus. Unless she was a spy. But why would she cry for help and ask for it back if she was a spy. And why did she have to be so nice? And how come he found her so beautiful when she wasn’t even a night elf? 

Nothing made sense to him tonight. He set the mirror on the table and tossed himself on the bed in his dormitory room. All the recruits were staying in the dormitories now. Military training and such. At least he wasn't assigned a roommate. The room was far from luxurious, two hard beds with old sheets, two tables and chairs, two chests for the necessities and that was it. But having it for himself made him feel better.

He was nearly asleep when the mirror girl spoke to him again.

“Hey, you there?” No, he definitely wasn't hallucinating. But what was he going to tell her?

He turned his back to the mirror. “I'm not speaking to you, blood elf.” 

There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. “You know I can't hear you when you're not looking into the mirror, right?”

A flare of anger spiked in Saeneth. No blood elf will speak to him in that tone. Note even the pretty blond one. He sat up, grabbed the mirror angrily prepared to snap at the girl but her expression made him stop. She looked shocked.

“You’re... What’s with your face?” She asked. 

That got him confused again. “What do you mean?” He touched his face with his free hand. Was there something on his face? It was fine last time he checked. If he only had a mirror that would actually show his face.

“It’s violet.” She stated as if it was something unusual. Which of course confused Saeneth even more.

“So? It’s supposed to be that way.”

There was an awkward silence when none of them wanted to admit the inevitable, afraid to say out loud what they knew had to be true and knowing that conversation will not be easy. The girl was the first to speak.

“So where did the mirror land? Plaguelands?” She asked with a spark of curiosity in her green eyes.

Saeneth frowned: “I'm not telling YOU about where I am.”

“Come on, it has to be some Alliance base in Plaguelands, I wouldn’t be able to send the mirror much farther. Hinterlands tops.”

Names of the locations rang a bell but Saeneth cursed himself for not paying much attention the the Eastern Kingdoms geography. Perhaps it showed on his face because next question was hit him very precisely.

“You are not in Eastern Kingdoms.” It was more of a statement than question to be honest. “Which means I'm not getting the mirror back anytime soon.” The girl looked quite conflicted now. Was she in trouble? The thought bothered Saeneth for some reason he wasn't ready to admit to himself. She seemed to be processing the situation for a while, then sighed silently and studied his face again. “What's your name then?"

Saeneth was going to get wrinkles from all that frowning. “I'm not telling you my name."

She just smirked. “So, no location, no names, that seems fair given the situation. But I need to call you somehow. I'm gonna call you Violet."

“Violet? Why?” he cared to ask.

“Because you are, duh.” she rolled her eyes on him and for some reason it was cute, not irritating. She shook her head and her wavy blonde hair draped around her like a wine. “And you can call me -”

“Goldie!” The words left his mouth before he was able to stop him. He wanted to cover his mouth in next second and pretend that it never happened but that would be cowardly. He didn't want to look like a coward in front of her. He fought to keep a straight face, did blush a bit though while she studied his face with undeniable curiosity.

“I like it.” she declared and Saeneth was free to breathe again. “So, tomorrow, same time, don't keep me waiting."

He wanted to add something but she was gone the next second, the mirror turning black again.

XXX

It has been a month since they Saeneth found the mirror in the woods and during that time no night has passed without them chatting with each other. He's learned great deal about Goldie, even though they never shared any details that might give out their location or identity. She seemed to be going through a training, not much different than his, to become a mage. They were similar in age as well, which explained her inexperience and struggles with spells. And of course, she was stunningly beautiful, which was the main reason they were still talking to each other although Saeneth would never admit it even if threatened with torture or death. Her voice was like honey and when she laughed, it was as if someone released butterflies inside his stomach. 

They did go together pretty well as far as he could tell. He was beginning to believe all the awful things he has learned about blood elves from his parents and teachers were not right. At least most of them. Until Goldie managed to prove them all right in one night.

She looked somehow more exhausted that night. They talked for a while about their trainings that day, how demanding their teachers were, new bruises Saeneth, or rather Violet, acquired and how irritating the other students in Goldie's group were lately. She really did pour her heart out. Saeneth didn't understand half of the things she said as it involved tons of magic, spells and elaborate rituals, but he didn't seem to mind. All that mattered was her relieved sigh when she got the anger off her chest: “Wow, it feels so much better being able to talk about it with someone.”

Saeneth smiled: “Glad to make you feel better.” 

Goldie smiled back and then smirked devilishly: “There is one thing that would make me feel even better than this.”

As innocent as Saeneth was, that did sound like something he would like to know more about. Maybe he could even help out then? Anything for his lady. “What is that?”

“Well, you know.” she smiled mysteriously and laid her part of the mirror somewhere further from her. It was a first time Saeneth got a better view of the room she was in, although the only thing he could see was a bed with rich red sheets which looked like satin and way more luxurious than his old sheets. Goldie was sitting on the bed wearing a dark blue robe with long sleeves and high mandarin collar which she started to undo.

It took Saeneth a few seconds and one bared collar-bone to figure out what she is about to do.

“Hold on!” He spitted, his cheeks flushing red. “Why are you undressing?”

“What do you mean?” Now it was her turn to look confused. “You night elves do it with your clothes on? Gross.” And she went back to unbuttoning the robe.

“What? No! Hold it right there!” Saeneth nearly screamed before he remembered someone in the rooms around might hear him so he ended up with a vigorous whisper. He was quite torn now. A beautiful lady wanted to get undressed in front of him, which should be a good thing, right? But why in the name of Elune would she do that?! He took a deep breath and went with: “What exactly is your plan?”

She giggled but it was a bit nervous this time. “Touch myself?” She threw in a few more terms searching for the right words when she saw his highly confused and blushing face. “Let go of the steam? Masturbate?” 

There was more but Saeneth didn't understand any of the latter ones or believe a girl said them. His jaw was hitting the floor and the blush made his face more purple than violet. “Why... Why would you... want me... Why would you want anyone to see that?”

“Aren't you funny? If nobody sees me, how are they supposed to know they can join me?” she smiled like it was obvious and he was the stupid one. She was going to continue getting rid of her clothes but then looked back. “You night elves don't let others see?”

“No.” At least that he knew of. 

There was that awkward silence again.

“Well,” Goldie broke it after a few seconds, “I'm doing it anyway. You don't have to watch.” She reached for the hem of her robe and pulled it off in one graceful motion. 

Saeneth wasn't sure what to do. Look away? Throw the mirror away and never use it again? Watch? Before he decided, she was pulling her panties down her tights. There was no bra in sight, but then she didn't actually need it because she was quite flat. And surprisingly muscular for a girl. Without the robe, her shoulders looked very broad and unladylike. Definitely not how the books described fair blood elf maidens but still the sight made Saeneth’s stomach twist.

He was thinking maybe too hard and missed where the underwear went, but Goldie was now settling into a more comfortable position with her back leaning on the wall behind her. Her hips and legs were missing the girly curves as well but still looked elegant. She didn’t hesitate a second before she spread her legs and playfully ran her fingers across her tights from knees inwards, motioning his eyes towards… He had to blink and look a second time.

And there it was. Unmistakably. A penis. Not too small, not too big, half hard and slightly curved to one side. And leaving Saeneth positively speechless. His first instinct was to say say something to make the other elf stop, but there was also this tiny little voice in the back of his head, that has always been there giving him stupid ideas. Like that naked girls bathing in the lake during full moon were not thrilling to watch. Or that watching a blood elf guy masturbate in front of a magical mirror was how he should spend his nights. 

Goldie’s giggling brought him back from his thoughts. She- He had one of his hands wrapped around the length of him, pulling the foreskin up and down over the head teasingly while the other hand wandered seemingly carelessly over his pale chest. “You look like you saw a ghost.” He laughed and it still sound like birds singing. And it made Saeneth’s body tighten in places he never thought would react to such sight. Which must have shown on his already bright purple face, because Goldie continued to tease him. “Like what you see?”

That was it. The blood elves were definitely embodiment of lust and all other evil as his elders told him. He should just throw the mirror into the deepest pit to make sure nobody will ever have to endure this ever again. He should. But he was also taught not to lie.

“Yes.” It slipped from his lips almost involuntary as a barely audible whisper and there was no taking it back.

Goldie chuckled. “Will you show me yours?” He suggested innocently.

“Huh? Why would you...” Why would any other guy want to see that while jerking off? Did the Sindo’reis figure out something that remained hidden to their ancestors?

“Come on, it's not a big deal. Or are all night elves as prude as they say?”Goldie chuckled again. He was obviously provoking Saeneth who should have had better discipline than he was currently exhibiting. But then the night elf was already too curious not to take the opportunity. Nobody will ever call Saeneth Swiftlance prude.

Taking a deep breath he laid the mirror on his table and made a quick process with his pants.

“The shirt too.” Goldie instructed with victorious spark in his green eyes.

The shirt followed where-ever the pants went and Saeneth was standing in the middle of his humble room wearing nothing but his currently already considerably tenting underwear. He paused with his thumbs hooked in the fabric, just about to pull the last bit of his dignity off but not quite ready yet. He looked up to see the figure in the mirror. The blood elf was still sitting there, with his legs lewdly spread across the sheets, his hand absolutely motionless now, watching his every move with parted lips and eager eyes. Saeneth has never had anyone look at him like that. Like they wanted him, wanted to see what he has to offer and wanted it this badly. 

“You really want this.” He stated what crossed his mind almost involuntary be he needed to hear the answer.

Goldie looked at him through his thick eye lashes. “Yes.” He answered with a resolute eager tone.

That was what he needed to hear. Saeneth bent to slide his underwear off and then he was standing there naked in front of a stranger elf and not very sure what to do. 

“Nice.” Goldie sighed from the other side of the mirror.

Saeneth blushed. “So what now?”

Goldie shrugged his shoulders. “Just make yourself comfortable and do whatever feels good. And I will do the same.” 

It did not sound too bad to Saeneth, even a bit reasonable. He laid himself back on the bed, his back against the cold wall, almost mimicking Goldie but without the scandalously revealing pose. His hands were shaking nervously when he touched himself for the first time and he want even sure if he would be able to finish in this state of mind. But then he took another look into the mirror and it all went away..

Goldie was watching him through a curtain of long dark eyelashes. He has undone his hair and it was now framing his slightly flushed face with a golden halo and falling down on his shoulders and chest. There didn’t seem to be a single pubic hair on his body. Either blood elves didn’t have any or it was very carefully shaven away. As another surprise, Saeneth always thought mages were bookworms that hardly got to do physical work, but the body he saw made him reconsider. Goldie’s muscles weren’t as prominent as his, rather lean but definitely there, shifting under the pearly skin with his every movement. 

At first, there were lazy but rhythmical strokes of one hand, caressing the full length of Goldie’s cock from balls to brightly dark pink head, while the other one playfully traced invisible ornaments on the blood elf’s chest. The sight made Saeneth’s own manhood twitch with strange but not unfamiliar excitement. He tightened his grip and pumped his hand a little bit faster, his dick turning even harder and deep violet with all the blood traveling south. 

Not too long after that, he was breathing heavily and fighting to keep his eyes open, feasting on the sight of Goldie writhing on his bed and biting his lower lip to muffle the soft moans escaping him. The initial nervousness was gone and all that mattered w. as the beautiful elf Saeneth so desperately wanted to touch. His rhythm was already getting a bit unstable when slid his free hand down to fondle his testicles and at the same moment he looked up, green eyes literally glowing with lust, burning deep into Saeneth’s soul.

“By Elune…!” was all that went through his mind before the orgasm rode over him in the next second unexpectedly and stronger than ever before. He opened his eyes a moment later just in time to see Goldie screaming his own pleasure with his lean body spasming on his bed and whitish fluids pooling on his stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day after Nerenis’s little adventure seemed to begin as any other. No one from his party noticed him missing last night as most of them were drinking with the orcs or attending an orgy in the troll quarters. Except for Aenrel who was giving him hard looks and possibly blaming him for missing it. They had a light breakfast together, helped each other into their armors and headed outside for a quick warmup spar.

  
Their mounts were already fed and groomed, all they needed to do was to put their armor on as well and saddle up. Nerenis’s strider was standing in his box patiently as ever but today for the first time in years, the softness of its bright violet feathers didn’t calm the elf down at all. Even later in the ring, he wasn’t able to clear his mind. He was constantly scanning the grounds for a glimpse of violet and green of Darnassian armor. The other elf definitely saw his face yesterday which meant they could be looking for him right at this moment.

  
“Nerenis! Watch out!” Aenrel’s voice cut through his thoughts almost as sharp as the spear Nerenis managed to parry in the last second. He turned his strider around just in time to dodge the second attack coming from the hands of a tall raptor rider. Both the troll and his mount were covered in furs to fight the unnatural cold they probably never experienced before, but it didn’t seem to affect their movement. The beast turned around swiftly and ran at them with a roar but this time Nerenis was ready. He urged his strider to charge forward, pushed into his stirrups to gain more stability and aimed his own jousting spear towards the opponent. In the last moment, he pushed his strider to make an elegant side-step, escaping the troll’s weapon while landing a hit right in the middle of his chest, dismounting him in the effect.

  
Take that! He thought victoriously but was already getting off his own mount to help his opponent back on his feet. The troll looked a bit shaken by the fall but he was ok enough to chant a few healing spells himself and the color returned back to his cheeks quickly. They chatted briefly, Nerenis helped him refasten his loosened chest piece and got invited to the troll “party” in the evening in return.

  
Back on his mount, he fought an undead whose arm nearly fell off after one particularly nasty hit, but he didn’t seem to mind and continued jousting with his limb dangling dead from his torso. Later he got dismounted by an exceptionally well-built orc, who turned to be female when she took her helmet off to call a priest to tend to Nerenis’s dislocated shoulder.   
He just seated himself back in the saddle, promising the priest to take it easy and rest when the unusual murmur caught his attention. He looked around and saw what was causing the disturbance. A group of unfamiliar figures had just entered the ring and it took Nerenis a moment to realize they were Alliance. Two humans, one draenei, one gnome, three loud dwarfs and of course the complete Darnassian party.

  
The actual tournament wasn’t starting until the day after and both factions were keeping to each other so far. No surprise that everyone was swept off their feet by the sudden appearance.  
The draenei came forward, his pauldrons almost as wide as the beast he rode. “We come in peace!” He started his speech in a funny accent Nerenis has never heard before. From what could be understood, they were bored and looking for a friendly challenge, but he could clearly see the night elves looking around and marking his fellow blood elves like cattle. Unknowingly, he must have shifted his weight because his mount took a step back and Aenrel’s voice sounded in his head like a bell: “Stay where you are, they will know it’s you if you run.”

  
That was true. “What do we do then?!” He thought back. Telepathy was a great thing in situations like this.

  
“Fight, win, don’t let them get your helmet off.”

  
Xxx

  
It was a solid plan with only one flaw – the night elven only goal seemed to be to take their helmets off. They didn’t care much if they won or got dismounted, they would always go for the head and succeeded with pinpoint perfection. Soon all blood elves were staying or laying around with their faces bare to the chilly northern wind and Nerenis was the only one still covered and mounted. Mostly because everyone wanted to fight the Allies and other people were actively seeking out the elves so he didn’t really get to fight any of them yet. But now there were three of them stalking through the crowd in his direction.

  
Two of them got picked on the way by other opponents. The third, unsurprisingly, was the tall one on a dark cat that chased Nerenis the night before. Nobody wanted to pick a fight with him after what he did to his previous opponent. The unconscious troll had to be carried to the medics tent and probably won’t be participating in the tournament anymore.

  
A roar of the sabercat cut through the air and the rider charged giving Nerenis little time to shield up, but he successfully managed to dodge the first blow. And the second and third just a few seconds later. He turned his mount around and braced for the next impact. The force of the blows was like nothing he ever experienced. Whoever said that all classes were equal in the tournament and it was only the ability to ride a mount and physical wellness that counted has probably never fought a true warrior.

  
They traded minor blows for some time, both shielding well and Nerenis managing to sidestep most of them. And, most of all, keeping his helmet up. He was somehow hoping to tire his opponent down, wait for a mistake that will allow him to surpass the opponent's defense, but the longer the fight went on, the more vicious the attacks got and his only recently healed shoulder started to protest. They went on for another minute when his strider suddenly turned to evade the saber cat’s claws heading for its throat and yanked the reins.

  
A jolt of pain ran through Nerenis’s shoulder and the pull threw him off balance. Next thing he knew he was flying through the air towards the ground.

  
Maybe he lost consciousness for a second. Rather than see, he sensed footsteps heading in his direction which woke him up again. Quick check, he was still laying in the dirt in the ring, other people standing in a loose circle around him, watching the night elf who was approaching him with long strides. His helmet was still on but not for long. The elf was next to him and with one swift motion he pulled his helmet off before still disoriented Nerenis managed to even rais his hand in a protest.

  
Millions of plans ran through Nerenis’s mind, mostly about how to strike down the opponent and flee, but when he tried even flexing his fingers and call to his magic, paralyzing pain going through his body made him reconsider. Something was very wrong and he won't be going anywhere before the healer sees to him. All he could do now was lay in the dirt and wait for a miracle to happen.

  
The dark elf stared right into his eyes with an unreadable face for what seemed to be an eternity before he finally lifted his head and shouted something at his mates in the night elven language. Too quick for Nerenis to understand. His only hope was that his mates would not let him be killed in the ring. Probably.

  
“He needs a healer!” The elf repeated surprisingly fluently in common language.

  
As if a silencing spell faded, there was suddenly lots of chit chat, someone was calling for a medic, people were making way for them to run through, others started to discuss the match, one of the blood elves went on to catch the loose mount. Three healers from the medic tent were rushing through the crowd in their direction and suddenly everyone was busy.  
Nerenis was having a hard time understanding what just happened. Why is he not making a fuss? Did he not recognize him? Was this just a demonstration of power that was supposed to scare them?

  
The night elf used the situation to kneel beside him in the dirt, seemingly checking on his shoulder. But instead, he leaned as close to Nerenis’s ear as his own helmet allowed him and growled: “I won’t tell anyone if you meet me under the coliseum at midnight.”

  
Xxx

  
The night was even worse than others before, it was snowing heavily and the strong wind was making every snowflake feel like a tiny razor on the skin. Only a fool would go outside so Nerenis, huddling in his hooded robe was actually kind of relieved when he reached the tunnel leading under the coliseum.

  
The place was usually bright with torchlight, but none was lit tonight. The tunnel was dark and empty and Nerenis mumbled to himself something about tardy vankers not being able to tell when midnight is when a hand pressed over his mouth silencing and pulling him into the shadows. Another hand turned him around and pushed him against the cold wall. Another body pressed against his and in a different situation, it might have been nice, but not in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of Allies possibly going for his neck.

  
Lips brushed on his earlobe with a whisper: “Do not scream, I mean you no harm.” The night elf was nearly invisible in the darkness, Nerenis could rather smell him than see. The stench of leather and steel was already starting to feel familiar but he needed to see.

  
One of the torches burst with a flame on his wish. He could make up the distinguishable dark violet hair and matching skin before the other man hissed: “Are you stupid? Someone will see us!” He was visibly nervous and looking around frantically.

  
Nerenis pulled on the hand that was holding his mouth shut. The elf hesitated but let it go so they could talk.

  
“I don’t live in the forest, I can’t see shit.” He hissed back. “Plus only a fool would go outside in this. What do you want?”

  
There was a moment of silence when the taller man looked around making sure nobody is around to hear before whispering silently: “You.” The elf looked him in the eye and with a deadly serious face, the hand that was previously silencing Nerenis stroked his cheek lightly. He was leaning in closer but the shocked look on the shorter man’s face made him hesitate and take a step back. “You really don’t recognize me, do you?”

  
“No.” That was only a partial lie. There was only one-night elf Nerenis ever knew, but that would be too much of a coincidence.

  
“You were never a good liar.” The night elf chuckled.

  
“Whatever. There are dozens of night elves who look like you, you could be anyone.” Nerenis pouted.

  
“Maybe this would make you believe.” The elf reached into the depths of his robe, pulled up a leather satchel and handed it to Nerenis. “Open it.”

  
It was quite light and he could tell it contained one more or less flat object. Nerenis probed it with his magic, but it seemed to be ok. For whatever he knew, it could be a trap, the object could be cursed so well spells wouldn’t detect it, but he was too curious not to do it.

  
The night elf was watching him eagerly as he pulled on the cord that was keeping the leather tied. He reached inside the bag and pulled the object into the light.

  
“I…” he wanted to say something but his throat suddenly dry didn’t let him finish. In his hand, he held half of a mirror with the remains of a golden frame. The glass was broken in pieces but still somehow holding in place. It only reflected his own face but there was no doubt this was the very same mirror he stole years back from magistrix’s storage room to practice displacement spells on.

  
His chest tightened with both hope and doubt and he was barely able to speak. “But,… you can’t be him.” That would be too good.

  
“Why not?” The elf asked softly, all signs of the aggressive warrior he was this morning gone.

  
Nerenis looked up to study his face. “He was much smaller. And his hair was not dark like yours.”

  
“I was 17, Goldie. You’re not as short as you were either.” He smiled and it was warm and familiar. “Come on, this is what I was training forever since I met you, don’t you remember? Train hard to become good enough to leave home and travel the word so we can meet. And here we are.”

  
At this point, Nerenis was barely holding back tears remembering the promise he already didn’t believe was true but still lived to uphold. Still, some part of him didn’t was to believe this could be true. “Anyone could say that. For what I know you could have killed him and…”

  
He didn’t get to finish the sentence because the night elf rolled his eyes on him and started to undo his coat. When he was done with that he reached for his belt and then pulled several layers of shirts up to reveal his stomach. Nerenis was shocked at first, not that it wasn’t a pleasant sight but why would a stranger undress in front of him?

  
And then he saw it. It was hard to see in the torchlight, but undoubtedly, there was a fine pink line tracing down the elf stomach, across the six-pack and leading down, parting the field of dark hair at the rim of the pants. “It goes all the way down.” The elf noted but Nerenis was already pulling down the leather pants to see for himself.

  
“You were with the medics for almost a week that time.” He whispered. The line did indeed go all the way to the base of the elf's shaft. “You almost lost your dick just because of making a move on another guy.” He chuckled. There was no doubt now. Nobody else had a scar like this, a scar that he knew so well. This guy was indeed his Violet.

  
The taller elf grinned. “And whose idea it was, huh?” He poked Nerenis’s shoulders.

  
“Come on, I just wanted to help you get you laid. Who would know the guy would take it so bad?” Nerenis laughed and held his hands up to cover from another playful shove Violet gave him.

  
“I knew and I told you!”

  
“Well I already told you I’m sorry, what else can I do?” Nerenis braced for another push, but it didn’t come. Instead Violet stepped closer, so close their bodies were almost touching, but not quite yet.

  
“Well, there is one thing that would make me feel better.” He whispered in a voice so deep it made Nerenis’s stomach tighten in a way he has not experienced in years. Violet bent down slightly so their faces were just a few inches apart, his lips parted in a silent invitation.

  
Nerenis had to get on his tiptoes to close the remaining distance and kiss those lips eagerly. He threw his arms around the night elf’s neck and pressed himself closer only to realize that…  
“Ooo, is that a mana wyrm in your pocket or are you happy to see me?” He broke the kiss to tease. The only answer he got was a low growl before he got pushed against the wall and their lips met again. The first kiss was somehow chaste, probing the terrain as someone might say, but the second one was much more urgent. Their bodies brushed against each other and soon he felt Violet’s hands exploring across the back of his thick winter coat and carefully reaching for his ass.

  
Encouraged by his partner’s boldness, Nerenis unhooked one of his hands from around the elf’s neck to run it over his chest. Luckily Violet’s coat was already undone and shirts untucked so he had much better access to all the places he wanted to touch and he could feel him tremble as he touched skin on skin diving his arm under the fabric. From the chest and stomach he quickly moved lower and with no shame he cupped the hard bulge within Violet’s pants, admiring the size and stroking it eagerly.

  
It was Violet’s time to break the kiss now and with his eyes shut tight to try to cope with the of his manhood being handled. His breathing changed to a series of gasps. “Oh, fuck, Gold-… I-…”  
It happened too sudden for any of them to react.

  
“Did you just…?” Nerenis was not sure what to say.

  
“Yes.” Violet’s cheeks turned purple. There is a first time for everything, even for coming from a few well-aimed strokes through the leather pants. “But I can go on.” He added quickly.

  
“If you say so.” Nerenis shrugged his shoulders and leaned in for another kiss. A hand quickly appeared on his chest preventing him to close the distance fully.

  
“Not here. Someone might still come. And I need to… clean up.” Violet blushed again.

  
A devilish smile crossed Nerenis’s lips. “I know just the place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm officially marking this as an airplane story as I'm only writing it when I'm on the plane :D   
> Also I should probably consider going on more business trips this year to finish this :D


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